Coin and token separator



Dec. 6, 1938. w. PATZER COIN AND 'I'OKEN SEPARATOR Filed Nov 6, 1937 Mllm Patzer E 5 ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE '1 Claims.

- This invention pertains to coin handling devices, and more particularly to a coin chute having a pluralityof discharge or exit openings into which various coins or tokens are directed by selecting mechanism. 1

7 One of the important objects of the invention is the provision of fraud-preventive means for the aforesaid type of coin chute and which is operable by a coin moving toward a particular discharge opening to block another such opening.

Another object is the provision, in a coin chute of the type having a descending coin passage with a discharge opening for genuine coins and an adjacent opening forspurious coins, of a selector member'positioned at the lower end of the chute hear these openings and arranged to be engaged by coins passing out the spurious discharge opening to block the passage into the opening for good coins.

Still another object is the provision of fraudpreventive means in coin chutes of the type having a discharge opening for spurious and another adjacent opening for good coins and constructed to be engaged by a coin element moving toward or through the rejection opening, that is, the opening through which spurious or bad coins are discharged, to block the passage to the opening for good coins so long as the rejected or bad coin remains in the region of the rejection opening,

whereby fraudulent attempts to cause .bad or rejected coins to stack up within the chute a distance sufficient to cause subsequent bad coins to be forced or directed into the good coin discharge opening, may be defeated.

5 Still another object is the provision of a coin chute having a descending coin passage with a rejection opening at its lower end and through which spurious or objectionable coin elements are rejected, and a good coin opening adjacent 40 the rejection opening and through which ac cepted coin elements are directed, and selector means in the form of a pawl mounted at the lower end of the chute and having an end portion projecting into the path of coins moving toward or 45 through the rejection opening, and an opposite end arranged to be positioned across the path of coins moving toward the good coin opening, the

, pawl being constructed to block the movement of coins toward the accepted or good coin open- 50 ing so long as a spurious or rejected coin remains at or in the region of the rejection opening.

Other novel aspects and objects of the invention will appear as the following description proceeds in view of the drawing, in which: 55 Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section through a coin chute embodying the present invention; Fig.2 is a fragmentary vertica? section of the lower part of the chute, as viewed along lines 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical elevation, viewed in the direction of lines 3--3 of Fig. 1; while Q Fig. 4 is abottom: plan view looking uptoward the,lower' edge of the chute in the direction of lines-k 40i Fig. 2. i

In its broader aspects, the invention is applicable to any type of coin chute having a plurality of discharge openings toward which coin elements move along a common path or chute passage, but for purposes of illustration I have 15 shown the invention incorporated with a type of coin chute shown in my United States application, Serial No. 85,877, filed June 18, 1936.

In general, this preferred form of coin chute includes a substantially fiat rectangular chute 20 body l0 consisting of a pair of plate members ll and I2 (Figs. 1 and 4) which are clamped toether and one of which is provided with molded formations l3 providing a devious or tortuous coin passage M which descends back and forth from 25 a coin receiving opening (not shown) at the upper end of the chute body into an enlarged discharge area [5 at the bottom of the chute,

Communicating with the enlarged area I 5 in the bottom of the chute are a pair of spaced 30 discharge openings l6 and H, the former being the one through which accepted or good coin elements are discharged, and the other being the rejection opening through which spurious and other coin elements not accepted by the selecting mechanism of the chute are discharged.

The selecting mechanism includes in this instance a pair of permanent magnets i8 and I9 positioned across. the chute passage so as to-provide a permanent magnetic field through which coin elements must pass and the purpose of which is to retard certain coin elements more than others, the good coin elements always being affected in the same manner so that the travel of such elements in the chute always follows a predetermined behavior. In the enlarged lower chute area l5, there is a ledge portion 20 comprising the lowermost end of the main chute passage and from the end of which a coin element A will be discharged at a rate depending upon its various physical characteristics and the reaction of such element tothe several selector means forming part of the chute mechanism. This coin element A may have suflicient velocity to carry it into engagement with the pointed end portion 2| of an adjustable selector 22 mounted in the chute in the portion I, in which case the coin element would be rebounded (toward the left in Fig. 2) toward the rejection opening I! or possibly into engagement with the pointed end portion 23 of another adjustable selector 24 and likewise be rebounded into the rejection opening.

On the other hand, the coin element A might follow the predetermined behavior pattern for a 800d coin so that its velocity would carry it ofl of the ledge with just sufllcient energy to miss both of the selector elements 2| or 23 or to strike the element 23 at a point far enough to the left so that in either case this element would go into the good or accepted coin opening it.

In the illustration of Fig. 1, the chute unit or body III is mounted in somewhat spaced parallel relation to a panel portion 25 constituting one of the walls of a vending or similar machine, the chute being mounted as close to this wall as the extending portions, such as the magnet l9, will permit. Immediately below the discharge or rejection opening l1, there is a return cup 26 having an opening 21 in the cabinet wall 25 which is accessible to the depositor or operator for the purpose of retrieving rejected coins.

It is possible, as illustrated by the dotted line representation in Fig. 1, forum to defraud the selector mechanism by inserting his linger in the return cup and holding it against the mouth of the rejection opening I! for the purpose of causing rejected coin elements to pile up behind this opening (in the manner illustrated by the coins C, D and E in Fig. 2) in such manner that enough of these coins will collect so that the uppermost one, in this instance, the coin C, will project far enough into the path of a coin such as the coin element A and direct such element into the adjoining coin-discharge opening l5 regardless of whether the coin element A is good or not. Thus, by depositing three slugs in the chute with ones finger blocking the discharge opening H, the fourth slug would be deflected into the adjoin ing coin-discharge opening to actuate or release the vending or other machine.

In order to prevent such fraudulent operation of the chute, there is provided the fraud preventive means illustrative in the several figures.

particularly Fig. 3, and which comprises a pivoted member or pawl 23 pivotally mounted as at 29 on a bracket 30 attached to the side of the chute near the discharge openings. I One end 3| of the selector'or pawl 28 is twisted and oflset for projection'through an opening 32 in the side wall plate ll of the chute body just above the spurious coin or rejection opening l|. This oifset end portion 3] of the pawl has a rounded edge portion 33 sloping downwardly in the direction of "travel of a rejected coin toward the opening l1, so that such a coin will engage this cammed or sloped edge portion 33 and pivot the member 23 (anti-clockwise in Fig. 1). to project the opposite offset; and laterally extending which has been arrested in this region, as by stopping the discharge opening with the finger as illustrated in Fig. 1, will cam or pivot the selector arm 28 and hold the blocking arm portion 34 thereof in blocking position so long as the coin element remains in the region of, or substantially opposite, the mouth of the discharge opening N.

If coins or coin elements are piled up behind the discharge opening II in the manner aforesaid, it will be observed that the particular position of the blocking portion 34 of the selector arm is such that when the lowermost blocking coin is released, none of the slugs or coin elements which have been piled up will move into or toward the adjoining coin-discharge opening.

In order to position the feeler or nose portion 3I33 of the selector in blocking position across the passage, there is provided a relatively light leaf spring 36 mounted as at 31 (Fig. 3) on the side of the chute with the free end portion of the spring passed beneath the main longitudinal arm portion 28 adjacent the blocking finger portion 34 thereof so as to pivot the arm in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1) to project the feeler or cam nose 33 across the discharge opening.

It will be apparent that various rearrangements may be made in the particularly described illustration recited herein, and also that the invention is applicable to a variety of types of coin handling mechanism other than that specifically described, and it is therefore my intention that the appended claims shall include all such rearrangements and any modifications or changes in form or location in the device herein described and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a coin chute of the type having a chute passage discharging into 'a plurality of adjacent discharge openings, and means for selectively effecting movement of coin elements toward said openings fraud-preventive means in the form of a movable element having a portion disposed substantially across the path of a coin element moving toward one of said discharge openings "passage terminating in a plurality of adjacent coin-discharge openings, and means for selectively eflecting movement of coin elements toward saidopenlngs fraud-preventive means in the form of a pivoted member mounted adjacent said openings and having a portion disposed substantially in the path of a coin moving toward one of said openings, whereby said member will be pivoted to project another portion thereof in blocking position across the path of coin elements moving toward another of said discharge openings.

3. A coin handlingdevice including a body member providing a descending chute passage having adjacent coin-discharge openings at a lower end thereof, and selector means for selectively directing coin elements into one or the other of said discharge openings, and fraudpreventive means including an arm pivoted adjacent said discharge openings and yieldably urged ,to project a portion thereof across the path of movement of a coin element toward one of said discharge openings for engagement by said coin 7 element to pivot said arm and project another portion thereof across the path of coin elements moving toward another one of said discharge openings.

4. Acoin handling device including a chute body providing a descending coin passage having adjacent coin-discharge openings at its lower end,

and selector means for directing coin elements variously toward and into said openings, together with fraud-preventive means including a lever arm mounted on said body adjacent said discharge openings and having an offset end portion projected into said chute passage at a point substantialiy above one of said discharge openings so as to be disposed across the path of a coin moving toward the latter opening to be engaged by said coin to pivot said arm and project an opposite offset end portion thereof into said chute passage to block movement of coin elements toward another one of said discharge openings, together with means yieldably urging said arm to project said first-mentioned oflset end portion thereof into position for engagement by coin elements for the purpose and in the manner aforesaid.

5. A coin handling device including a member providing, a descending coin passage having a" rejection opening at its lower end and an adjoining coin-discharge opening also at its lower end adjacent said rejection opening, selector means in said passage for directing good coins toward I into said chute passageto block'coin elements from movement into said adjoining coin-dis charge opening when said first-mentioned end portion or the pawl is engaged and moved by a .maliy pivoting said coin element moving into the rejection opening in the manner aforesaid, and spring means norpawl in a direction to project said first-mentioned end portion thereof into the path of coinelements moving toward said rejection opening.

6. A coin chute including a body providing a descending coin passage having a plurality of coin-discharge openings near its lower end and into which coin elements of predetermined physical characteristics are adapted to pass, and fraud-preventive means in the form of an arm pivoted between its ends on said chute near said lower end of the passage and having an offset feeler portion projected through the side of the chute into said passage above one of said discharge openings across the path of coin elements moving into the latter, the opposite end of said aim being oflset and movable through an opening in said chute into said passage to block the movement of coin elements toward another one of said discharge openings, together with spring means normally urging said arm to project the first-mentioned feeler portion thereof into coin engaging position across said passage in the -manner and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a coin chute having a chute passage and a plurality of discharge openings, selector means in the form of an arm pivoted between its ends and mounted for pivotal movement in opposite directions to project opposite end portions thereof substantially across said passage in the path of 'coin elements moving toward different ones of said discharge openings, such that a. coin element moving toward one of said discharge openings will engage one end portion of said arm to pivot the latter to project the opposite end portion thereof into blocking position relative to another one of said passages, said arm having means yieldably pivoting the same to dispose a particular one of said end portions in blocking position relative to a particular one of said discharge openings.

WILLIAM PATZER. 

